How to Report Cybercrime in Pennsylvania (and Get Your Money Back)

Quick answer: Report to the federal agencies first, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) and the FTC, AND in Pennsylvania file a complaint with the state Attorney General's Bureau of Consumer Protection (1-800-441-2555 or [email protected]) and report to your local police or the Pennsylvania State Police. But before you do any of that, call your bank or card issuer right now: stopping or recalling the payment is the single thing most likely to get your money back.

What to do in 3 steps

1. Call your bank or card issuer immediately and freeze the money. Use the number on the back of your card or your banking app. Tell them the transaction was fraud and ask them to stop, recall, or reverse the payment and freeze the account. If you sent a wire or used Zelle, ask specifically about a wire recall or a fraud claim. Speed matters more than anything else here, recovery odds drop sharply after the funds leave the receiving account.
2. File the federal reports. File with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov, this is the central US channel that can trigger the FBI's Recovery Asset Team to try to freeze fraudulent wire transfers. Then report the scam to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov. If your identity or personal data was stolen, also use identitytheft.gov to get a personalized recovery plan.
3. Report it in Pennsylvania. File a complaint with the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General's Bureau of Consumer Protection online at attorneygeneral.gov, by phone at 1-800-441-2555, or by email at [email protected]. Also report to your local police department or the Pennsylvania State Police and ask for a written report or incident number, your bank and insurer will often require it.

How recovery actually works

Getting money back is not one process but several running in parallel, and the clock is the deciding factor. For unauthorized card and account transactions, your bank is legally obligated to investigate the dispute and, in most cases, restore funds taken without your permission, provided you reported promptly. For fraudulent wires and instant transfers, the realistic path is interception: if IC3 and your bank act within hours or a few days, the FBI's Recovery Asset Team and the receiving bank may be able to freeze the funds before the criminal withdraws them. Once money has been converted to cash, cryptocurrency, or moved offshore, recovery becomes unlikely. The Pennsylvania Attorney General's office does not refund individual victims directly, but your complaint feeds investigations and enforcement actions that can lead to restitution and stop the scammer from harming others. Be aware of a second wave of fraud: anyone who contacts you promising to recover your lost money for an upfront fee is almost always running a follow-up scam.

What to have ready

• Dates, amounts, and reference or confirmation numbers for every fraudulent transaction.
• The recipient's details: account numbers, wallet addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, or company names you paid.
• Screenshots of messages, texts, emails, websites, and any social media or dating profiles involved.
• Your bank and card account numbers and the dates and times you contacted them.
• Any police report or incident number, plus your IC3 complaint number once filed.
• A simple written timeline of what happened, in order, so you can repeat it consistently to each agency.

Frequently asked questions

Do I report to the FBI or the Pennsylvania Attorney General? Both. They serve different purposes. IC3 is the federal hub that can move on fund recovery and feeds FBI investigations, while the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Bureau of Consumer Protection handles state-level consumer fraud and can pursue enforcement against businesses and scammers operating in Pennsylvania. Reporting to one does not notify the other.

How fast do I have to act to get my money back? Immediately. For unauthorized electronic transfers, notifying your bank within 2 business days caps your liability at $50 under federal law; waiting longer can expose you to far greater losses. For wires and instant payments, the window to freeze funds is often measured in hours, so call your bank and file with IC3 the same day.

The police said it is a civil matter or out of their jurisdiction. What now? Politely insist on filing a report and getting an incident number anyway, you are entitled to one and your bank and insurer may require it. Then make sure your federal IC3 complaint and your Pennsylvania Attorney General complaint are filed, as those channels are built specifically for cross-border online fraud that local departments are not equipped to chase.

Sources

• Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Bureau of Consumer Protection (helpline 1-800-441-2555, [email protected])
• Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Submit a Consumer Complaint
• Pennsylvania State Police
• FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)
• Federal Trade Commission, ReportFraud.ftc.gov
• Federal Trade Commission, IdentityTheft.gov

For step-by-step reporting and recovery guides covering other countries, see our cybercrime help hub.